Hate marine life? Keep using plastic bags | Editorial

The saddest thing about that 1,100-pound whale who washed ashore in the Philippines two weeks ago – dead from bowel obstruction, after ingesting 88 pounds of plastic – is that this portrait of depraved indifference toward wildlife is no longer surprising.

We tolerate this destruction for human convenience, and the math is filthy: Each year, between 8 and 12 metric tons of plastic waste are dumped into the sea. That’s the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic being dumped into the ocean every minute.

If we want to stop killing marine life – or poisoning birds, choking storm drains, contaminating food chains, and jeopardizing human health —it’s time to follow the example set by New York State Thursday, when its Legislature agreed on a bill that bans plastic bags.

Our last bill related to plastic was vetoed by Gov. Murphy, for good reason: It applied a five-cent fee on single-use bags, which wouldn’t be much of a deterrent.

An updated bill from Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, goes further. It bans plastic film bags entirely – specifically, no store or food business can provide single-use bags to customers. It also bans plastic straws, other than for the disabled at restaurants, upon requests. And polystyrene foam is history.

But Smith, after consulting with Senate President Steve Sweeney, wants to take it beyond the New York model:

“We want to ban paper bags as well,” he says. “If you allow paper, you’re just creating a whole new waste stream. So bring your own. Or if you show up at the market without a bag, buy a reusable one. We think we should have a whole new approach.”